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Chrono Stars Values System
An alternative to the traditional alignment system popularized by the likes of Dungeons & Dragons, ''the '''Chrono Stars Values System' instead focuses on what values an individual, group, or society holds. A value is defined as a belief that motivates action and transcends situational context. They are standards that praise certain actions and inform or even create taboos and standards of behavior. Instead of focusing on subjective terms such as good and evil or focusing too narrowly on abstract ideas like law and chaos, the Chrono Stars Values System allows for a more internally-focused approach to prescribing character behavior and belief. Background This values system is based on the Schwartz Value Inventory, a psychological inventory created by Shalom H. Schwartz. It was originally designed as a means for describing different cultures in relation to each other or simply to describe cultures without making judgments on if a value is "good" or not. Instead, some cultures are simply stated to value one thing over another. The initial "Theory of Basic Human Values" has ten values that are organized into four groups that each have an "opposite". Within a given value group, some values may be closely related, or they may even be related to a value in another group. Although some values may seem intrinsically opposed to one another, it is possible for someone to value these two different things. Why use a value system? Concepts such as "good" and "evil" are generally fair to use for describing the likes of supernatural forces or creatures with little personality, such as angels or demons, but some creators may want for more nuance without the baggage of terms like "good" and "evil." Though less subjective and widely used than good and evil, the "law" and "chaos" axes of alignment may also be restrictive when describing large groups of people, especially on a large scale such as many settings in Chrono Stars. Widely describing a culture as "good" or evil" can carry with it a great deal of subjectivity that can only grow worse if there are parallels -- whether intentional or not -- to a real culture or group. A more nuanced approach encourages exploration of the fictional culture on its own merits. This nuance can benefit individual characters as well. Instead of describing a character as inherently evil, their values can be shown in opposition to other people's values, or their values may manifest in ways that are more conventionally in line with descriptions of "evil" without explicitly calling the character evil. A character that might be labeled as "good" in an alignment system might have values that inform behavior or attitudes that benefit others in some way. In effect, it allows for readers to draw their own conclusions about a character's behavior, which is informed by the character's values. Values are meant to be used with a neutral viewpoint; some values, such as Hedonism or Power, may carry negative connotations in many real world societies, but they are not inherently negative themselves. Explore how a value can manifest in positive or negative ways in using the system. List of Values Openness to Change These values are mostly opposite of Conservation values. They focus on the independence of thought, action, and feelings, and readiness of change. Typically, there is an emphasis on changing one’s circumstances, though not necessarily for any tangible benefit. It is effectively an intellectual or intrinsic need that drives “Openness to Change” values. Consider someone who climbs an enormous mountain. If their reasoning for climbing it is, “Because it is there” or “I wanted to challenge myself” that would likely be Openness to Change. 'Self-Direction' Independent thought and action in choosing, creating, and exploring. Those with this value need control and mastery of their lives. They are often curious, creative, and independent, emphasizing self-respect, intelligence, and privacy. Self-autonomy is vital for them. They will not be happy with someone else making decisions for them. Unless they are in charge of their own life, they are likely to be discontent. 'Stimulation' Excitement, novelty, and challenge. They thrive in daring or risky situations, but only when self-chosen and not past whatever their threshold of “danger” is. New things and situations thrill them, and they may crave unpredictability or randomness just to keep an element of novelty in their lives. Variety is the spice of life for the Stimulation-focused. Self-Enhancement These values are mostly opposite of Self-Transcendence values. They focus on the self and one’s station relative to others or their own needs. There is an emphasis on surrounding culture and context, as what constitutes Achievement or Power are culturally specific. To use the mountain climber example again, a Self-Enhancement mountain climber might explain their actions as being “To show I’m better than others” or “Because it’s something I can be proud of”. 'Hedonism' Pleasure or sensuous self-gratification. Hedonism is having needs and fulfilling them, whatever they may be. There is an emphasis on enjoying life; nothing else quite matters so long as one’s needs are satisfied, though when paired with other values, what these needs are can vary dramatically. “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow, we die” is an extremely hedonistic quote. 'Achievement' Personal success and demonstrating competence according to social standards. They have certain objectives they seek to fill, and those objectives are according to set standards, usually from a culture, religion, or other surrounding group. Social approval is crucial for Achievement; if a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, it did not make a sound. Similarly, if nobody witnesses or hears of the accomplishment, it may as well have not happened. 'Power' Social status and prestige, holding control or dominance over people and resources. Authority and portraying the self a certain way are elements of power. It is the ability to be “on top,” the dominant force that does not have to answer to anyone. Where Self-Direction is an internal drive for autonomy, Power is an external one; Power is meaningless without people beneath someone who holds it. Conservation These values are mostly opposite of Openness to Change values. They emphasize keeping things the same, either to maintain how things have always been done or just for the stability that conservative action brings. A Conservation-focused mountain climber could give their reasons as being, “Because I’ve always done this” or “It’s what is expected of me”. 'Security' Safety, harmony, and stability of society, relationships, and self. Unpredictability is the enemy of Security. There is often a drive to be part of a group or other affiliation, as there is safety in numbers and comfort in being part of something greater. Security is not always solely individual focused. They may also seek for social order and lawfulness in their surrounding environment or for people they care for. 'Conformity' Restraint of actions, inclinations, and impulses likely to upset or harm others and violate social norms. Obedience and discipline are the hallmarks of Conformity; it isn’t about what someone wants to do so much as what they should do and what needs to be done. In fact, doing something out of pure desire that disrupts social order is a negative thing to do. Loyalty and responsibility also define Conformity, as groups cannot function well without either of those traits. When the group changes, so does the conformist, as it’s better to go along with what others do. 'Tradition' Respect, commitment, and acceptance of the customs and ideas that one’s culture or religion provides. Tradition tends to be more abstract than Conformity, though the two are closely related in their adherence to specific rules that they might not have necessarily chosen for themselves. Unlike Conformity, Tradition is an immutable expectation; this is how things have always been done, and thus it shall always be. The rules of a traditionalist can vary depending on what the tradition they adhere to is, but they commonly emphasize being devout, accepting one’s position in life, and putting the traditional law above the needs of the self. Self-Transcendence These values are mostly opposite of Self-Enhancement values. They are focused on other people or things apart from the self, most usually in altruistic ways. Self-Transcendence is about looking outside the self and seeing what others need. A mountain climber with values relating to Self-Transcendence could explain themselves as, “Because I want to help other people who get stuck on the mountain” or “So I can see the beauty of nature from another point of view”. 'Benevolence' Preserving and enhancing the welfare of others within one’s “in-group”. The “in-group” aspect of Benevolence is important for defining the value, as is the intrinsic, internal motivation for doing it. Conformity may suggest to help others to stabilize society, but Benevolence seeks to help those around them for their own sakes. There is a need to be part of something and be affiliated with something, and they hold concern for others’ welfare that may manifest with traits such as honesty, forgiveness, and friendship. 'Universalism' Understanding, appreciation, tolerance, and protection for the welfare of all people and for nature. As the name suggests, Universalism is more about broader applications of cooperation and altruistic actions. A resource scarcity would lead someone that values Universalism to solve the problem for all groups, not just their own. In fact, Universalism may even forsake such affiliations in favor of neutrality. Peace, unity with nature, inner harmony, and equality are their concerns. It isn’t enough for their own circumstances to be comfortable, peaceful, and safe -- all people and things should be granted these rights. Using Values in Roleplay Throughout the Chrono Stars Wiki, some races (such as those of Ealdremen) will have what their society values listed in their article. It is typical for there to be three listed values, though some races may instead have only one or two values focused on. These values are meant to be a quick indicator to readers about what this race's culture may be like. A culture with values relating to Hedonism and Stimulation will look different from one that values Security and Benevolence. Creators using these values should reflect on how those values manifest in that society's culture. What does "Tradition" mean? Is it a historical love for battle, so even new generations are meant to uphold their ancestors' history of preparing for conquest? Or is it carefully keeping track of their people's history in archives and preserving knowledge for future generations? A value should be examined from multiple angles to determine its place in a race's society. For individuals, values should be more narrowly defined, and it is typical for an individual to have only one or two major values. Values may also come from a variety of places. In a culture, values are more broadly agreed upon by many people and become cultural in time; for an individual, anything might be the origin point of a value, and a single incident could result in different values depending on the character. Consider a character that grew up in an unpredictable environment where they never knew when their next meal would be. A scenario such as that could make a character focus on Hedonism (they never want to go hungry again and satiate themselves at every opportunity), Security (they never want that unpredictability to happen ever again), or perhaps even Universalism (their experiences make them want to eliminate these problems on a broad scale for other people). Values do not create personality alone; they are equally informed by personality as much as they influence it. Try to avoid picking too many values for a character or a culture, even if you feel you could make an argument for all of them. Having too many listed values defeats the purpose of using values as a descriptor at all. "What is valued most?" should be the running question. Once a value is decided on, determine how it manifests and keep it in mind when writing the character or culture, especially if they are forced into difficult decisions. Values may change over time, especially if the character goes through a crisis of some sort that forces them to reevaluate their worldview or perspective of other characters. Category:Game Mechanics